Q.1. Is it permissible to eat with Hindus working here in the Kingdom or when one is back in India?
Q.2. Should fighting break out between India and a Muslim country, what should Indian Muslims do? Can they fight against their fellow Muslims?
Abd Al-Ahad
A.1. When we are with non-Muslims who do not take any hostile measures against Muslims, there is no harm in having a good social relation with them, including sharing a meal together. Needless to say, we have to observe Islamic requirements which make food permissible to eat. So, if you are invited by a Hindu friend living here, you are sure that the meat bought here meets Islamic requirements. In India, you have to be more careful.
A.2. When Muslims are a minority in a country, they should not engage in discussing hypothetical situations that call their loyalty into question. That brings them trouble with the non-Muslim majority. However, Muslims are not allowed to fight other Muslims, except in cases where they are subject to aggression. In this case, their fighting should be limited to repelling the aggression. In the period prior to a war breaking out, Muslims should do their utmost to bring about reconciliation so that they are not caught up in a situation of conflicting loyalties.
Stoning the Devil and Stampede
Q.1. A man was doing the stoning on the Day of Sacrifice with his 11-year old son, but there was a crush and they were in fear of a stampede. So they left without completing the stoning, forgetting that they had not finished. The boy had thrown only 4 pebbles, and the man between 10 and 15, since he was doing it also on behalf of his wife and his 7-year old daughter. When he went to his tent and rested, all the family released themselves from consecration, forgetting that their stoning was incomplete. The man did the stoning on the other two days on behalf of his family without problem. Are they liable to make any compensation?
Q. 2 A woman finished her period on 9 Dul Hijjah and did her pilgrimage duties in full, with the exception of the tawaf of arrival. She had expected to finish two days earlier according to her own habit. However, she was told that she should have considered the period complete after seven days, and she should have started prayer, even though her period was not over. Please advise.
Abu Naeem
A.1. The man should have repeated the stoning for the Day of Sacrifice on the second or third day to make sure. However, in his case there was a genuine mistake coupled with forgetfulness. It is hoped that his action will be accepted as correct by God. Since he is not sure of the number of pebbles he had thrown and that they could be 15, we assume that they were 14 and count for him and his wife. His daughter is too young and there is no problem with her missing the stoning. However, had he repeated the stoning, that would have been fine.
A.2. This woman did the right thing, and her pilgrimage is complete. A woman who is in her period should do all the duties and recommended actions of pilgrimage like everyone else, except for the tawaf, which she must delay until she had finished her period. This is what this woman did. As for the tawaf of arrival, it is a Sunnah, which means that its omission does not affect the validity of the pilgrimage. Since she had to omit it but would have done it had she been able to, God may, if He so wills, credit her with its reward for her intention. Hence, she does not need to take any action now.
Of all tawafs, only the tawaf of ifaadah is an essential requirement of the pilgrimage, and without it the pilgrimage remains incomplete until it is done. The tawaf of farewell is a duty, but a woman may omit it without need to compensate if she is in her period and cannot wait in Makkah until she finishes, as is the case with people who have an unchangeable flight booking.
The advice the woman was given on the duration of the period is wrong. The maximum duration is 10 days, not 7. Thus, if a woman continues to have a blood discharge after 10 days, she treats it as a physical disorder which should be medically treated if it is repeated.
This is what is known in Fiqh as istihadah. But a woman who has this condition needs to pray and can fast, after she has had a shower. A woman who has a normal period of, say, 6 or 7 days, and she develops this complaint, should treat the first 6 or 7 days of her discharge as her period, and the rest as istihadah.
